Pueblo, Colo., NBC affiliate KOAA has been named in a federal lawsuit seeking more than $1 million after it aired the image of a boy’s penis in a 2014 report.
Colorado Springs, Colo., ABC affiliate KRDO reports KOAA showed the image when reporter Matthew Prichard did a story on a local kid getting blackmailed by someone threatening to post sexually explicit video of him on YouTube.
“KOAA aired the thumbnail image of the Youtube video depicting Plaintiff’s erect penis and his name as a part of the story,” The Washington Times reports the suit alleges.
The suit seeks damages in excess of $1,000,000 for twelve claims, including sexual exploitation of children, invasion of privacy, negligence, defamation and civil conspiracy.
KOAA General Manager Evan Pappas released the following statement about the suit:
“Through a series of stories during the last several years, KOAA has informed its viewers about the dangers of sexting and cell phone security. At the specific request of the victim’s father, we ran a story two years ago about his son being blackmailed over a cell phone video. While we are unable to discuss the specifics of this recently filed litigation, we will defend ourselves against unfounded accusations.”